The Unvegan

French fries go great with a burger, breadsticks are delicious with a pepperoni pizza and mac and cheese is the perfect partner with some ribs, but beer is amazing with any meat. It is difficult (although not impossible) to be an unvegan without having a great taste for beer and as any real beer drinker knows, not all beers are created equal. In my world, there is Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss and then there are all other beers.

This is not to say that all other beers are terrible, but they are simply not as good as Honey Weiss. Brewed in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, Leinenkugel’s (affectionately referred to as Leinie’s) is the third largest craft brewery in the country, after Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada. Just like those breweries, Leinie’s has many varieties that can be found all around the Midwest, such as Creamy Dark, Berry Weiss and seasonals. In fact, Leinie’s has even made its way out to LA, but only the Classic Amber and Sunset Wheat flavors. These beers are good, but they are no Honey Weiss.

Although Honey Weiss looks light to the eyes, it doesn’t taste like a light beer. There is a tiny bit of honey in each batch, but that certainly doesn’t make the beer sweet. In fact, it remains less sweet than most other wheat (weiss means wheat in German) beers. Yes, I’m looking at you, Hefeweizen. Some choose to drink this beer with a lemon, but this is wholly unnecessary. The beer is perfect as it is and is incredibly refreshing without falling into being a light beer.

Some day I hope to have enough clout to bring Honey Weiss over to the west. There are some great beers out here, but none as good as a Honey Weiss. Some beers are best drank at a bar, some are best after a long day of work and some are best to crack open for Sunday football. Leinie’s Honey Weiss is perfect for any of these occasions and every time I drink it, it brings me back to nights in the Northwoods, kicking back next to a lake and loving my life.